agree to spend

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "agree to spend" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when discussing a mutual decision to allocate resources, such as time or money, for a specific purpose or activity. Example: "After much discussion, we finally agree to spend the budget on new equipment for the office."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

47 human-written examples

Why would people agree to spend time and energy mentoring?

The New York Times

So it becomes easier to agree to spend the money.

The New Yorker

Do they agree to spend their money together?

Independent

faculty members who volunteer or agree to spend a few semesters abroad.

The New York Times

Through Teach for America, college graduates agree to spend two years teaching in low-income urban and rural communities.

The New York Times

The OECD has called for its rich-country members to ease up on austerity and collectively agree to spend more on infrastructure projects to boost flagging growth.

The Guardian - Business

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

10 human-written examples

But Germany won't agree to spending funded by borrowing -- exactly opposite to their deficit reduction targets.

Huffington Post

They agreed to spend the summer taking racial sensitivity classes.

The New York Times

It eventually agreed to spend it in the area.

The New York Times

Congress has agreed to spend up to $12 billion over the next decade.

The Economist

On May 20th the House and Senate agreed to spend $80.6 billion over the 2012-2013 biennium.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "agree to spend", ensure the context clearly indicates who is agreeing and what they are agreeing to spend on. This avoids ambiguity and strengthens the sentence's clarity.

Common error

Avoid assuming that "agree to spend" automatically implies a complete or immediate transfer of funds. Clarify whether the agreement is a commitment to future spending or an authorization for immediate disbursement.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "agree to spend" functions as a verb phrase indicating a decision or consensus to allocate resources, typically money or time. It describes the act of consenting to utilize these resources for a specific purpose. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is grammatically correct and widely used.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

70%

Science

15%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

3%

Encyclopedias

1%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "agree to spend" is a versatile and grammatically sound expression used to indicate a mutual decision to allocate resources, typically money or time. Ludwig AI affirms its correctness and common usage across diverse contexts, particularly in News & Media. While suitable for both formal and informal communication, it's essential to ensure clarity regarding the scope of the agreement and whether it implies immediate or future spending. Related phrases like "consent to expend" and "commit to investing" offer subtle variations in meaning, allowing for nuanced expression depending on the specific context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

consent to expend

Replaces "spend" with "expend", indicating a more formal or official agreement.

concur to allocate

Uses "concur" to emphasize agreement and "allocate" to highlight the resource distribution.

commit to investing

Focuses on the investment aspect of spending, implying a future return.

decide to disburse

Emphasizes the act of distributing or paying out funds.

settle on allocating

Implies reaching a final decision on how to distribute resources.

undertake to finance

Focuses on providing the necessary funds for a project or activity.

vote to appropriate

Suggests a formal decision-making process, such as in a legislative body.

approve the expenditure of

More formal and bureaucratic, suitable for official documents.

sanction the outlay of

Uses "sanction" to imply official permission and "outlay" to refer to the spending of money.

authorize the use of funds

Highlights the permission to use money for a specific purpose.

FAQs

How can I use "agree to spend" in a sentence?

You can use "agree to spend" to show a mutual decision about allocating resources, for example: "The board "agreed to spend" the budget surplus on employee training."

What are some alternatives to "agree to spend"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "consent to expend", "commit to investing", or "decide to disburse".

Is there a difference between "agree to spend" and "agreed to spend"?

"Agree to spend" is the present tense, indicating a current agreement. "Agreed to spend" is the past tense, showing that an agreement was reached in the past. Example: "They "agree to spend" more money next year" (present), versus "They "agreed to spend" more money last year" (past).

In what context should I use "agree to spend" instead of a more formal alternative?

While formal alternatives like "approve the expenditure of" exist, "agree to spend" is suitable for most situations. Use the more formal option for official documents or highly formal settings. The choice depends on your audience and the level of formality required.